[behaln]

I am planning a trip to Mukteshwar in Feb 1st week, Are there any other stay options available besides the KMVN lodge. As seen in your pics , the place looks uninviting.

Beautiful travelogue SS Da and congratulations on your 21st marriage anniversary. It seems that you have taken Samba's reply on your ownership thread regarding TRO's pictures pretty seriously

[fine69]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

KMVN TRH, Mukteshwar

Like pretty much every other property of KMVN, or for that matter GMVN, HPTDC, or any other State Tourism Rest House, the TRH Mukteshwar is located at the best possible site in the area

Aren't there 2 properties now? I read somewhere that the newly built property has even better views. Not sure whether one is with PWD or both are KMVN properties.

[BB311]

Originally Posted by behaln

I am planning a trip to Mukteshwar in Feb 1st week, Are there any other stay options available besides the KMVN lodge. As seen in your pics, the place looks uninviting.

I am not promoting any property here, however, I have been to Mukteshwar twice, and both times I have stayed at a homestay called Colonels Cottage. That place is very good and the Host Colonel Anita is a gem of a person. You can give it a try, GMVN's beauty is its centralized location, however, the homestay I am talking about has beautiful views.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by behaln

I am planning a trip to Mukteshwar in Feb 1st week, Are there any other stay options available besides the KMVN lodge. As seen in your pics , the place looks uninviting.

Any place that's quiet and has safe parking, a decent bed, clean bathrooms with hot water, a decent tariff, decent food, and a magnificent view from the window, is extremely inviting for me. That way, KMVN TRH checks all the boxes. But then, there are plenty of other choices in Mukteshwar, including the one recommended by BB311...

Originally Posted by BB311

I am not promoting any property here, however, I have been to Mukteshwar twice, and both times I have stayed at a homestay called Colonels Cottage. That place is very good and the Host Colonel Anita is a gem of a person. You can give it a try, GMVN's beauty is its centralized location, however, the homestay I am talking about has beautiful views.

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Beautiful travelogue SS Da and congratulations on your 21st marriage anniversary.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Excellent summary! You missed out on the braking department though. The braking on the Scorpio is much more predictable than the Thar is what I have felt.

Oh yes - that's one major thing that I missed mentioning. The switch from ABS to a non-ABS-equipped vehicle was quite a revelation. I seem to have forgotten how to modulate braking to prevent lock-ups, and on this trip I must have locked the wheels and made awful screeching noises about 5-6 times in all (albeit over just 1-2 metres). Both the brake and clutch in the Thar need more leg-power to actuate, but I haven't found the stopping power to be inadequate. But the habit of using ABS (push the pedal through the floor in an emergency technique) was counter-productive in the Thar. Towards the end of the trip, I was getting used to modulating the pedal to prevent lock-ups, but I am now in a dilemma - keep the ABS user's habit (never mind a bit of screeching tyres), or re-adapt to pedal modulation to prevent lock-ups at all?

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Regarding mileage, I get around 13 kmpl on a 20 hour run between Kolkata and Delhi. That goes down to to ~ 8 kmpl on a 17 hour run. So 11.2 kmpl without AC and speed around 90 kmph is pretty low. It might be due to the additional weight of the hard top.

Having not been used all these years, the engine seems to have been choked, and appears to be opening up gradually. The initial FE was ~8.5 kmpl - from there to 11.2 isn't bad. Let's see what happens to the FE over the next 2000 km.

Originally Posted by fine69

Aren't there 2 properties now? I read somewhere that the newly built property has even better views. Not sure whether one is with PWD or both are KMVN properties.

The PWD bungalows have been vacated by PWD and taken over by KMVN, renovated and converted to rooms and a dining hall - these are visible below (the green roofs) in the view from my room's balcony.

[PapaBravo]

Fantastic travelogue SS Da. It’s a recap of all we did in Mukteshwar last time. Chalo ki Jaali is indeed amazing. TRO looks smashing with those backdrops.

Regards

Pawan

[rahulba]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

The view from Chauli ki Jali is mesmerizing, and the song adds to the ambience.

Not sure if you noticed or not but that guy playing the instrument looks like Sunil Shetty.

[BlackPearl]

Beautiful travelogue SS Da and congratulations on your 21st marriage anniversary. It seems that you have taken Samba's reply on your ownership thread regarding TRO's pictures pretty seriously

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

A summary of the experience of driving the Thar

In the hills, compared to the Scorpio that I have driven so many times in the same terrain, is where the Thar excels. With its shorter wheelbase, quicker steering, better turning radius, lesser body roll and better grunt lower down in the rev range, it takes less effort to keep up the pace on winding roads - until the road is patchily repaired, bumpy or undulating. Over such patches, the ride is much harsher than the Scorpio's, and the front suspension is noisy. The overall average was 11.2 kmpl for the trip, but that is perhaps because the AC was off and I kept to speeds under 90kmph most of the time on the highway. Above 100 kmph, the air turbulence is irritatingly loud, and the water from the windscreen washer jets swirls around without actually reaching the glass. However, the car does put a smile on one's face, given that traffic gives way (we took advantage of that feature through the crowded streets between Rudrapur and Rampur). Have topped up with a diet of Reliance diesel from Moradabad on the way back, and let us see how much the FE improves.

OTOH, the lady has complained of a painful lower back after the ride, and is not overtly keen to sacrifice the comforts of the Scorpio in favour of the Thar on drives such as from Delhi to Kolkata.

Excellent summary! You missed out on the braking department though. The braking on the Scorpio is much more predictable than the Thar, that is what I have felt. Regarding mileage, I get around 13 kmpl on a 20 hour run between Kolkata and Delhi. That goes down to to ~ 8 kmpl on a 17 hour run. So 11.2 kmpl without AC and speed around 90 kmph is pretty low. It might be due to the additional weight of the hard top.

[Dry Ice]

Wonderful log Doc! Good to see the Red One's maiden trip with you out of the city. Mukteshwar rings so many bells in my head - relieved to see you spent the nights in relative comfort. And no man-eater disturbed you. lol!

Binsar/Mukteshwar have been on my list for a long time now, have to do something about it soon. Maybe next year, once the snowfall stops.

[Kandisa]

Captivating narration and a lovely log in the new Jeep. And heartiest congratulations on completing the long period of togetherness, wishing you many more happy and memorable years ahead together.

OTOH, the lady has complained of a painful lower back after the ride, and is not overtly keen to sacrifice the comforts of the Scorpio in favour of the Thar on drives such as from Delhi to Kolkata.

Haha I was waiting to read something like this towards the end of the log. No wonder, after spending so many kms on the road in the Scorpio, THAR could be bit of downgrade in some departments. However, the pleasant smile on your face in one of the photos does show that you are enjoying the vehicle and that probably is the single biggest reason to own a Jeep.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Wonderful log Doc! Good to see the Red One's maiden trip with you out of the city. Mukteshwar rings so many bells in my head - relieved to see you spent the nights in relative comfort. And no man-eater disturbed you. lol!

Binsar/Mukteshwar have been on my list for a long time now, have to do something about it soon. Maybe next year, once the snowfall stops.

So I finally managed to tick it off my list. The place has a charm. Quiet, laid back and peaceful. Enjoyed my time here. The panoramic views of the Himalayas are just amazing from the PWD bungalow lawn.

I had booked the KMVN for 2 nights, but ended up moving out after a mere hour or two. Spent 1 night in one of the hotels that have popped up before the main market, and second in Bhimtal. Since Mukteshwar was a second stop for me, I didn't mind much but can't imagine moving into it after a tiresome drive from Delhi. The rooms were really cold and uninviting. The blankets they provided were stinking and when I pointed it out, the staff was just not ready to replace them! Had lunch in the dining hall, and just left. In hindsight, should not have pre-booked it.